Lyle Hancock
"Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am... Please put down the frag grenade, ma'am."' ''' History Background Lyle was born in southern Utah to a pair of traders but doesn't have many memories of his home state. As the Legion began to expand their borders the Hancock family moved south, with Lyle's parents joining up with the Crimson Caravan Company sometime after settling down in the outer Vegas area. As soon as he was of age Lyle signed on to be a caravan guard, and after some basic training in handling firearms proved to be a pretty good shot. Shotguns were fun, but Lyle's weapon of choice was the rifle, and slapping a scope on top made picking off errant mole rats and coyotes all the more easy (and admittedly, fun). Most of his late teens and early twenties were spent on the road, escorting pack brahmin and traders up and down the Long 15, and as a result, Lyle had many a run-in with the New California Republic. He had heard a number of times from troopers that someone who could pop a gecko in the eye from a hundred yards away with a .223 could put their skills to better use in the NCR ranks, and when the day-to-day grind of trekking across the Mojave grew too tedious, that's just what he did. It helped that Camp McCarran was a stone's throw away from the Crimson Caravan home base; Lyle could keep an eye on his aging parents and stop in to visit when on leave. Basic training was hell for someone his size, and had he not managed to garner himself some sort of muscle definition from all that walking he did, lord knows if he would have made it through. Hand-to-hand combat was hardly his forte, and thus he was taken off the list of potential Ranger applicants right off the bat, but all that time spent staring down the scope of a gun proved to be time well spent; shortly after the Bitter Springs massacre saw two positions open up in the 1st Recon unit, Lyle's name was thrown in for consideration. He landed one of the spots, the skills he learned spending time on the road lending themselves well to the position. Lyle was skilled with a rifle already, had learned how to repair weapons and adapt to his surroundings while on the move, and no one ever saw such a tiny, scrawny shrimp of a man coming until it was too late. He was paired up with Corporal Stipe shortly after making the cut, and while they have a strange, tumultuous relationship at best, there's no one else Lyle would rather have watching his back. He's still waiting for a new recruit to join the 1st Recon ranks, if only to have everyone else on the squad stop referring to him as 'the new guy'. Wistful thinking, he's sure, even three years after the fact. Continuing Adventures ''--'' Death ''--'' Personality A soldier should be stoic, diligent, obedient, and courageous. Lyle is none of these things. Okay, that isn't entirely fair. You don't get into 1st Recon by lacking courage or diligence, and he can snap to attention with the best of them. But stoic? Definitely not his style. He's prone to cracking wise when his superiors are away (and sometimes when they aren't), much to the chagrin of his partner Corporal Stipe, and joking around is both a past time and a defense mechanism. If Lyle laughs at himself before anyone else can, then there's no reason to get offended or be put off, right? At least, that's how he looks at it. And anyone who has an insult to throw his way better come with it fast and hard, because he'll do his damnedest to beat them to the punch. Really, the guy grew up with the last name Hancock; jokes at his expense are hardly unheard of. Still, he's one hell of a decent sniper when he puts that energy towards lining up a shot through his scope, and when on a mission, he scales back the witticisms and gets his job done. It helps that he's responsible for his partner's safety, especially when he's entirely certain that should she be gunned down in battle she's come back to haunt the ever loving hell out of him. But having such a big responsibility on his shoulders works well at keeping him focused on the task at hand, and while not everyone may find his personality appealing, no one can argue with his work-related track record. Appearance Lyle doesn't exactly have the physique of your average military type. Short, scrawny, and squirrely, Corporal Hancock isn't on the front lines for a reason. A Ranger might be able to beat him in a game of arm wrestling, and the ground troops might be able to out run him any day of the week, but Lyle's got them beat when it comes to precise marksmanship. It's really all he has going for him, since his looks leave a bit to be desired; a goofy smile, big ears, and a permanent case of Basset hound eyes don't exactly a stud-muffin make. Relations * ''Mr. Hancock (father) * Mrs. Hancock (mother) Quotes * "--" Category:Character Category:Mojave Category:New California Republic